London: The Sikh Council UK facilitated an open community wide Panthic meeting inviting all Gurdwaras, Sikh organisations and individual members of the Sikh community.
The urgent meeting called with just a couple of days notice was necessary following revelations in the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission Report.
Over 50 Gurdwaras and organisations were represented and unanimously passed a strongly worded resolution condemning the sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
The findings of the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission Report with respect to Sikhs peacefully protesting the desecrations and the role of the Punjab Government and Punjab Police were noted.
The strongly worded resolution criticises senior Punjab Police officers involved in the police actions for shielding the guilty.
The resolution specifically called for timely criminal proceedings against then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Home Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, DGP Sumedth Saini, Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh and then SGPC President Avtar Singh Makhar as those directly or indirectly involved in the desecrations and killing of innocent Sikh protesters.
The Panthic meeting also passed resolutions unanimously:
- condemning the comments of Rahul Gandhi denying Congress involvement in the 1984 Sikh Genocide and the need for the three UK MPs present when Rahul Gandhi made the comments to apologise and clarify their position
- affirming Sikhs are a distinct Quom (nation) as well as a religion and supported the call for a Sikh ethnic tick box in the Census 2021.
Bhai Amrik Singh, Chair of the Sikh Federation (UK) said, “the Punjab authorities should be in no doubt about the need for tough and timely action by those named in the resolution against those directly or indirectly involved in the beadbi of saroops of Guru Granth Sahib Ji and killing of innocent Sikhs protesting against the beadbi.”